Patient Alin Shepherd spends her days at the hospital working really hard to walk. Each step is tough for the 3-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, but she's motivated because she can't wait to reach her favorite therapist -- a trained service dog named Yuba. Her mother said he's the No. 1 reason why she's walking.

"She loves animals, so she just walks toward them. She took her first steps -- independently, not us asking her -- to Yuba. She loves him. She asks about him throughout the week. She'll sign 'dog,'" said mom Amy Shepherd.

Yuba is a 2-year-old golden retriever-Lab mix trained by Canine Companions for Independence. He's owned by recreation therapist Adrienne Blizzard, who has been bringing him to the hospital several days a week since February.

"We have so many kids here who have been in the hospital for really long amounts of time. They have pets at home that they're missing, so their faces light up when they see him," Blizzard said.

The hospital has brought in dogs in the past, mainly for kids to pet, but it said getting a therapy dog was a huge step. Yuba knows about 60 different commands, but Blizzard said a lot of what he does has to do with just being a dog -- he helps motivate the kids, largely through play.

"They don't think about therapy as being work as much. They look forward to it. They say, 'I'm going to work with Yuba today,' and the therapists see a big change because they're not focusing on each step they're taking as work. They see it as almost like playing," Blizzard said.

For Alin's family, Yuba has already made their lives better. They're now thinking for the first time about getting a dog.

"Because of Alin's interaction with Yuba, it's just amazing that bond, so I want that for her at home," Shepherd said.

A Justice Department civil rights investigation has concluded that the Ferguson Police Department and the city's municipal court engaged in a "pattern and practice" of discrimination against African Americans.